Thursday

This is the title of a press release we have been sending out as part of our campaign: Email Nestlé in June - stop its latest baby milk marketing scam.

Nestlé's Global Public Affairs Manager, Dr. Gayle Crozier-Willi, is taking the lead in defending Nestlé's strategy of promoting its baby milk with logos saying it 'protects' babies and other claims about its supposed benefits - claims that do not stand up to scrutiny.

Dr. Gayle Crozier-Willi latest response to campaign supporters puts the following argument for ignoring Nestlé's responsibilities under the World Health Assembly marketing standards. She says: "the World Health Assembly does not formulate marketing standards – rather it makes health policy recommendations to Member States."

Funny that. Article 11.3 of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981 states: "Independently of any other measures taken for implementation of this Code, manufacturers and distributors of products within the scope of this Code should regard themselves as responsible for monitoring their marketing practices according to the principles and aim of this Code, and for taking steps to ensure that their conduct at every level conforms to them."

In addition, Dr. Gayle Crozier-Willi was leading Nestlé's delegation lobbying Health Ministers at the World Health Assembly last month and so she knows they adopted a further Resolution on 22 May that specifically: “CALLS UPON infant food manufacturers and distributors to comply fully with their responsibilities under the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent, relevant World Health Assembly resolutions.”

Nestlé is demonstrating its contempt for this call. If you think it should abide by the International Code, please email it via:

Nestlé has still not got the message that it will lose more business through people's outrage than it will make from boosting sales of its formula. So please do keep spreading the word. Nestlé puts profits before all else - even the lives of babies and the rights of mothers, as this clear breach of the World Health Assembly marketing requirements shows. So we need as many messages as possible to go to Nestlé to give it a financial reason to stop this shameful marketing strategy.